The view from the TriBeca Bridge

[747sp]

A veteran Broadcaster here in the UK, David Frost, once said that his top three views of man made objects were Concorde, The Sydney Opera House and the View from the TriBeca bridge in the early evening.

AM going to be in NYC in a few weeks and i am commencing my homework with a view to trying to take the 8x10 on it's first overseas outing.

I assume he means a great view of the skyline of Manhattan - if so that is what i am after.

Is he right? - and if not where is the best vantage point?

Apologies (esp. to the New Yorker's here) if my question displays my Ignorance...

[Mark Sampson]

I assume that Mr. Frost meant the Triboro bridge, which connects the boroughs of Manhattan, Queens, and the Bronx, IIRC. There would be great views of the Manhattan skyline from it. A true local (plenty on this forum) can give you detailed advice. TriBeCa is an old neighborhood of light-industrial lofts that has become an ultra-stylish residential area in the last 15 years or so. It's near Wall St. in lower Manhattan- the name means TRIangleBElowCAnal (St.). Plenty of restaurants and clubs, but no bridge.

[Toyon]

Since 9-11 the authorities have prohibited photography of bridges in NYC. You may be able to get a special permit from the City Hall though.

[747sp]

Thankyou - i actually checked what he said on the BBc news website and he did say TriBeCa - however i guess Triboro makes more sense - looking at Google earth it's further up Manhattan, so to speak.

What i couldn't work out was this...

http://www.flickr.com/photos/picture...ne/3174793918/

I was thinking what kind of view would you get from there? Hardly one worth lugging a LF camera across the pond for....

[eddie]

there is plenty to shoot in NYC. we have a bunch of us that get together and shoot LF pretty regularly in the NYC and surrounding areas. let us know when you arive and lets go shooting. check you PM also.

eddie

[David A. Goldfarb]

I was trying to figure out what bridge is in TriBeCa. If David Frost is remembering something he saw long ago, that one from flickr, which is relatively recent, isn't it. It's pretty common to go to Manhattan via the Triboro, though, from LaGuardia or JFK airports.

There are lots of vantage points to photograph bridges from, and there's always some risk of getting hassled, but it's unlikely that you will, except in certain very touristy spots, like the Fulton St. Landing on the Brooklyn side, where people like to photograph the Brooklyn Bridge and commercial photography requires a permit.

You are more likely to have a problem if you try to take a photograph from a bridge, which I don't often do, but other locals have said so lately. Some bridges don't necessarily provide good views for photography, because there are often fences in the way. I'm not sure about the Triboro.

I like the view of the skyline from the Brooklyn Heights Promenade.

[mcfactor]

I'll second the Brooklyn Heights Promenade. The view is absolutely stunning and Brooklyn Heights itself is a really nice area.

[Brian Vuillemenot]

Since 9-11 the authorities have prohibited photography of bridges in NYC. You may be able to get a special permit from the City Hall though.

And is this actually enforced, other than by overly zealous rent-a-cops? Here in SF I shoot the bridges all the time.

[Frank Petronio]

Take some bolt-cutters to cut through the fences that keep people from jumping.

And bring a lawyer along too!

Seriously, you'll probably want to scout the shot first and plan it out, but I think shooting 8x10 panoramic cityscapes from the bridge will be a challenge, all the more so in the winter.

[Terence McDonagh]

Brooklyn Bridge is not a problem for photography unless you try to use a tripod. You'd be knocked down by pedestrians and bicyclists anyway. And vibrations from the traffic make a tripod pointless anyway (a problem on all the bridges).

Manhattan Bridge has a fine chain link fence (2" openings) above the historic railings. So shoot low through the 4" gaps in the historic railing.

Williamsburg Bridge also has fine chain link fence along most of it.

Queensboro Bridge has the fine chain link fence when over land. It was open over the water the last time I was on it. Watch for bicyclists.

Triboro has been rehabbed since the last time I was on it. Not sure about fences. It's the only bridge I've been consistently hassled on.

George Washington is open railing. Port Authority Police occasionally hassle you, but usually not.

Verrazano Bridge has no walkway. I have been hassled by park police when setting up a LF camera and tripod in the park on the Staten Island side while standing next to a hundred picture snapping tourists. No problem on the Brooklyn side.